This past year, God has allowed His ministry through Lifeline to not only grow in depth of ministry but also in the scope of ministry. We completed the official licensing process in Louisiana as well as welcoming several existing offices that had provided adoption and pregnancy counseling services under Bethany Christian Services. Recently, Bethany Christian Services shifted direction in their convictional beliefs and ministry, stepping away from providing adoption and pregnancy services. Lifeline was able to come alongside some of the offices that wished to remain in those ministry areas with gospel conviction and bridge the gap for women, families, and children who were in need. 

God has provided such pathways for us to be licensed and operating in four new states and nine new offices: Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Greenville/Spartanburg, SC; Pensacola, FL; Little Rock and Fayetteville, AR; Rapid City and Sioux Falls, SD; Cheyenne, WY; and Baton Rouge, LA.  

These new offices will allow us to reach more children, families, and women with the hope of the gospel as we practically minister to the ever-present needs in their lives. This work requires a long-term investment in the lives of precious image-bearers of God. The people we walk alongside face the repercussions of history that include issues such as trauma, neglect, substance abuse, learning challenges, homelessness, dire circumstances, and a deep need to know the love of the Father. These journeys are long; these lives are worth it. 

Your financial partnership with us will enable us to continue reaching out to these valuable lives with hope and a future. It is an investment that will last for eternity. Will you join us in reaching out to even more image-bearers this upcoming year?  

Join us today!

The post Growing In Scope and Depth appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

From conducting meetings with county DHR directors and connecting with workforce development prospects, to introducing the program structure to churches, it is clear that God is carving a path for Christ followers to begin ministering to youth in foster care. One component of Heritage Builders, life-readiness trainings, has already launched. We have held four life-readiness trainings with the Jefferson County Independent Living Program for the youth. An outcome of these trainings is how volunteers are growing in care for each youth on an individual basis. The other two components of Heritage Builders, called advocates and resource connections, will launch later this year.

We are ready to equip you as you step into teenagers’ lives as advocates and as practical and spiritual mentors. Considering how far God has brought this new ministry in such a short time stirs our anticipation for what He has next in store for Heritage Builders.

Visit our foster care page for future updates on Heritage Builders.

The post Heritage Builders appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

Recently the Lord worked through a domestic adoption between an adoptive family and a birth parent to change lives. The adoptive family, Susan* and James*, felt the Lord leading them to desire an open adoption between them and the birth mom. Ultimately, they were matched with a birth mom, Elizabeth*, who had the same desire. The two families met for the first time via video call, and during that initial conversation Elizabeth asked Susan to be her support person in the delivery room. They were able to forge a bond in the months leading up to the delivery. The relationship that formed led Susan to be able to share the gospel with Elizabeth in the long-term.  

When an expectant mother chooses life for her child, Lifeline helps to connect her with tangible resources as we also share the gospel. Because both families made the decision to have an open adoption, their lives are forever changed. We have seen God use our efforts to share the gospel through domestic adoption and change lives. Will you partner with us to Change One Life today?

*Names changed for confidentiality 

The post Change One Life- Domestic Adoption appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

One of our foster families received their foster care license and excitedly accepted a placement of two children whose parents didn’t speak English. In spite of the language barrier, the family built a trusting relationship with the biological parents as well as with the children. The foster family became strong advocates for them and the experiences they were walking through. When the children were able to go home and reunify with their parents, the foster family was there to witness. The two families still maintain a relationship with each other, and the foster family has had opportunities to share the gospel with both the children and the biological parents.  

Because of the hope of the gospel and the faithfulness of the foster family, their lives were all changed. You can be a part of changing more lives through foster care. Donate today to Change One Life.

The post Change One Life- Foster Care appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

Cliff and Megan Sims have been married for 11 years. Their desire to grow their family ultimately led them to pursue international adoption. In September 2020, the Sims traveled to Colombia to bring home their three-year-old son, Shepherd (Shep). 

Before bringing Shep home, Cliff and Megan experienced the uncertainty that adoption can bring. They did not know how their story would proceed or end, and Cliff captured those emotions by writing a few song sentences. “The song begins with the helpless — but hopeful — feeling of wanting a son but not knowing who he was, or even where he was, or if it would end up being in God’s plan for us at all,” Cliff describes. 

The uncertainties of their process would continue as the world faced a pandemic caused by COVID-19 in the beginning months of 2020. Introducing shutdowns and long waits, the pandemic made the lengthy process for adoption even longer. Nevertheless, Cliff describes how COVID was part of God’s sovereignty in their story: “We were fortunate that travel between Colombia and the United States was not completely shut down. But flights were harder to book. The courts were backed up with cases. Passport appointments were tough to come by. We had to quarantine for two weeks when we first got to the country. But in hindsight, God’s timing was perfect. The adoption process is full of uncertainties that force you to let go of our false sense of being in control and trust that God is working it all out. If you’re being called to adopt, take that step in faith with the certainty that God has proven himself to be trustworthy to bring his perfect plan to fruition.” 

It was their trust in God’s plan for their lives and His heart for adoption that continued to fuel the Sims’ tenacity in this long process. Cliff and Megan’s foundational understanding of adoption was and is rooted in the gospel. This belief pointed Cliff and Megan toward adoption not only as a way to grow their family but also to be part of God’s work in the world. Spiritual and physical adoption are themes of the Bible, Cliff notes. He explains that “the doctrine of adoption is at the heart of the gospel.” However, Cliff and Megan understand that “adoptive parents aren’t our kids’ ‘saviors.’ Instead, they see adoption as “the extraordinary opportunity” to be part of a child’s story by being part of “God’s sovereign will for their lives, for His glory.” 

Being part of God’s plan does not mean the path will be easy. Cliff and Megan have “learned a lot about the psychological, emotional and physiological impacts that trauma has on children, and what that means for us as adoptive parents.” There is much redemption and healing in adoption, but getting there can be a difficult path. Balancing the hard with the joyful gives a beautiful picture of how God has put adoption as His tool to mend hearts in a broken world. Cliff recalls the times when Shep, “unprompted, [will] say, ‘I love you, Mommy,’ or ‘Can I have a hug, Daddy?’ and all the frustrations melt away in an instant.” Noting the incredible progress made in their family over the last year, Cliff explains that adoption has been “both incredibly hard and totally worth it.” 

Thinking through the adoption process and the last year at home, Cliff reflects on their relationship with Lifeline as part of the means God used to not only facilitate their adoption but to walk with them through the tough days—in the past, present, and future. He states, “Adoption can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, so it was great having experienced people with us on the ride–reassuring us when necessary, helping us understand what to expect at every step of the process, and navigating the uncertainty that the pandemic added to everything. Members of the Lifeline team were total pros, but they also became really good friends, and we’re forever grateful for the role they played in bringing our family together.” 

Through this process, Cliff’s song changed from one of helplessness to one of pure joy at the adoption of Shep. He has now completed and recorded the song as a way to capture the truth that “God’s plan is perfect and it’s enough. Pain, loss, and brokenness are a part of every adoption story. But that’s not the end of the story.” Furthermore, he wants their story to focus on God’s character and plan, not what their family can bring to a child. Cliff explains that the meaning of the song is not that their family is “so great that [Shep] won’t ever care about the history and circumstances that led to this moment.” Instead, Cliff wants to emphasize that “God’s plan really is so great that you’ll be able to see that He’s working all things—even the difficult things—together for your good and for His glory.” 

Cliff’s song, “U, Ur Mom & Me,” is available on all major streaming platforms. The song’s release is also accompanied by a “story behind the song” video and an official lyric video. 

The post God’s Plan is Enough appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

Johnny and Kevin are siblings who live in one of Lifeline’s partner homes. They are older teenagers who began to lose hope because no families ever stepped forward to adopt them. A family from a local church in Bogota saw their struggle and began mentoring Johnny and Kevin. Over the next year and a half, their outlook on life improved drastically because they finally had someone to support them. The family invested in Johnny and Kevin’s lives by teaching them the gospel and discipling them.  The Lord truly moved through this family in the local church.  

Johnny and Kevin’s lives were changed through the support of their local church. You can be a part of our efforts to equip and empower the local church in countries around the world. Donate today to Change One Life.   

The post Change One Life- Global Orphan Care appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

The post Jeeah’s Hope appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

The post Life for All appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

The post Love Gives appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.

Statistics most recently quoted by those inside and outside the orphan care community is that there are approximately 140 million orphans worldwide. This figure includes both “single” and “double” orphans. Single orphan is a term to describe a child who has lost one parent to death. Double orphan describes a child who has lost both parents to death. This number is confirmed by UNICEF, and although reasonably accurate, it can be misunderstood. Most notably, a glaring difficulty with relying on the UNICEF statistics is that the number of orphans reported by UNICEF represents children who are living in homes!  Most of these children are not in need of adoption. Most are vulnerable and need the Church’s help to provide resources that will aid in orphan prevention. Although our call to care for those 140 million vulnerable children remains, the issue of orphan care around the globe and how we are to respond to them is complex. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the global orphan crisis. 

However, for many children, there is no hope of family reunification or of a thriving life outside of an orphanage. For them, adoption is the best solution for hope and a future. The UNICEF number often doesn’t include these children, as it does not include abandoned children, children living in institutions, or children living on the street. Ninety percent of these orphans are social orphans. They may have living parents or relatives, but, for varying circumstances not of their own fault, they are without a family influence in their lives. Many of these orphans do not maintain the possibility of that status changing. For them, adoption is their best solution. 

We do not have a comprehensive count of children who stand in need of families in the world either through adoption or non-kinship foster care. This number would include double who are living outside of the care of extended family, orphaned children who have been abandoned by both of their living parents and extended family, and orphaned children who have been permanently removed from the care of their birth parents by government action for reasons of gross neglect and/or abuse. There are an estimated 8-10 million orphaned children living in institutions worldwide. All of these children are not adoptable, nor are they in need of adoption. But many are. 

Children in Institutions 

The institutions these children are growing up in around the world are as complex and different as the children who inhabit them and the circumstances that brought them there. Around the world, you can find everything from government-run orphanages to private group homes run by non-government organizations (NGOs). The philosophies of care these institutions operate under are as varied as the entities that have created and sponsor them. For instance, a typical model for a state-run institution in Eastern Europe is a like a self-contained ecosystem. The children eat, sleep, play, receive basic medical treatment, and even go to school all in the confines of the orphanage. All the children know of life once they come to live within the institution is viewed through the lens of the institution until the day they are launched into independence, and the focus of the institution isn’t really on preparing them for life after their time there. It is on running an efficient day-to-day operation with as few problems as possible. This means that things like laundry, meal preparation, and so on are done en masse by a staff of caregivers. The children are given little real freedom are not taught much responsibility that prepares them for an independent life. Moreover, the need to run an efficient organization on a large scale breeds something that always tends to have a policy-over-people feel.  

At times, institutions are the only response to the immediacy of a crisis that causes mass orphans such as a civil war or a natural disaster. Other times, they may be the best solution to a poor situation like a home for severely physically and/or mentally challenged children in a country that otherwise lacks the infrastructure to deal with such conditions. Nevertheless, nearly all who have a stake in the worldwide orphan care conversation agree that institutional care should be a short-term, last-resort option for children whenever possible. For adoptable children in institutions, having a permanent family will change the trajectory of their lives from one of despair to one of hope. 

Children on the Streets 

None of the popularly referred-to orphan estimates account for street children. Although this population is composed of legitimate orphans, it also includes those who have been enslaved and trafficked for forced labor and/or sexual exploitation, or those forced to serve as child soldiers in wars and conflicts around the globe. Some of these children are not orphans at all. Instead, they are stolen or runaway children whose families are living and seeking their return. Those children don’t count as orphans, but they are intermingled with a significant number of orphans in an indistinguishable mass. Whether true orphans or not, both sets of this population are easily victimized because of a lack of familial ties.  

Where to Go from Here 

As you can see, understanding a biblical basis for our action helps to give us a basis for action, but how we should respond is the question. Because of the complex need to care for orphans globally, Lifeline takes a multi-reach approach. We advocate for family restoration, life skills training, orphan prevention, and sustainable resources. We also know that adoption is the best option for many children and work through stringent accreditation processes and partnerships to ensure ethical practices are carried out. When adoption is right, we want to walk with families whom God has called to grow their family through adoption. God sets the lonely in families, and we want to journey with those families to give children a gospel hope and future. 

The post How Many Orphans Are There? appeared first on Lifeline Children's Services.